Chapter 374 Portuguese Envoy

A group of special guests arrived in the living room of the Ou Mansion. They were Ou Zanghua’s group of Jiangxi students.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Lu Lin stood up as a representative and said, "Sir Ou, we are here to recruit soldiers under the order of Marquis Qiu, but I don't know where in the northern region the best source of soldiers is. Sir Ou, please give me some advice."

"In China, there is no best source of soldiers, because there are heroes everywhere."

"The six northern counties are vast and boundless. The sons of good families there have learned archery and horse riding since childhood. They are heroic, loyal and brave. The imperial guards that dominated the world back then were composed of good families from the six counties."

"Looking eastward, the people of Shandong are simple and tough. They can endure the cold and are even better at fighting."

"In the south, the elite soldiers of Danyang have long been famous throughout the world. In the past, Li Ling fought against 80,000 Xiongnu cavalry with only 5,000 men. Although the situation was dangerous, the men of Danyang swore to fight to the death and never retreated, showing their loyalty and bravery."

"Let's talk about Yiwu, Zhejiang. There are many miners here. They make a living by mining. They have developed strong bodies and the courage to not fear life and death."

"The people of the three rivers and four lakes are savage, patient, able to endure hardships, and willing to die."

"The Guangxi wolf soldiers are well-known for their swift movements and their expertise in mountain warfare."

After hearing this, everyone started discussing it. Someone suggested that they split up into several groups and go to the place mentioned by Ou Zanghua to recruit soldiers.

Ou Zanghua heard their discussion and said, "Don't go so far this time. When you come back from Guangxi, Hunan and Zhejiang, two or three months will have passed. You can just recruit new soldiers in the northern Zhili area."

Upon hearing this, the military officers immediately agreed.

They understood Lord Ou and knew that he must have his reasons for saying so.

The next day, when Ou Zanghua returned to the Honglu Temple from the Ministry of Rites, Cao Yu found him and asked about the Japanese envoys: "Sir, the Japanese envoys have been in the capital for more than a month. Today they asked when they can see Your Majesty?"

"That's what I mean, I want to know too!"

Ou Zanghua sighed and said, "Your Majesty last held a court meeting a month ago. Now, let alone them, even the cabinet can't see His Majesty."

"This..." Cao Yu was embarrassed after hearing this: "Are we just going to leave it like this?"

"Of course not," Ou Zanghua shook his head and said with a smile, "In any case, when Censor Peng returns to the capital, His Majesty will hold a morning court session. Judging from the distance, Censor Peng should be here soon."

"I hope so!" Cao Yu smiled bitterly, then said, "I will appease her."

"Thank you." Ou Zanghua nodded.

At this time, Zuo Si Cheng Chen Mengji walked in quickly. After seeing the two, he bowed and said, "Sir, Miss Cheng has returned from the south, and she is returning to Beijing with the envoys from Portugal."

"Oh?" Ou Zanghua was a little surprised. He looked at Cao Yu and asked, "Before this, have any Portuguese envoys come to our dynasty? Also, have envoys from Greater Luzon, the Red Haired Barbarians, Elias, Mesquite, and Italy come here?"

"To answer your Excellency's question, there is none."

Cao Yu said with certainty: "This is the first time that our dynasty has received Portuguese envoys."

"No, to be precise, this is the first time that our dynasty has come into contact with a country in Europe." Ou Zanghua smiled. Just based on this point, he would be able to go down in history and be famous through the ages.

After thinking for a while, Ou Zanghua ordered: "Arrange accommodation for the Portuguese and teach them the etiquette of the Central Plains. Three days later, I will meet them at the Honglu Temple."

"Yes!" Chen Mengji and Cao Yu responded at the same time. This was a piece of cake for them.

As a Portuguese adventurer, George Olves came to this mysterious, ancient and vast empire for the first time.

He lived in the courtyard arranged by the Honglu Temple, holding a quill pen in his hand, recording his experiences along the way.

In fact, a few years ago, King Manuel I of Portugal issued an order to Diogo Segora, who was exploring the East, asking him to investigate the intelligence of the mysterious ancient country in the East.

where are they from?

How far is the distance?
What is the number and size of merchant ships traveling each year?
Are they wealthy?
What's your personality like?
Are there any weapons and cannons?

What are you wearing?
How's your height?

Are they Christians or pagans?
Is their country strong?
There are dozens of questions like this, which shows how eager Portugal is to understand the East in detail.

Now George Ovis feels he can answer these questions.

They came from the East, eleven thousand two hundred miles from Portugal, and their merchant ships were incalculable in number, for many of them crowded the port every day, waiting for shipment.

Some of them were very rich, but most of them were able to earn food through labor and ensure that they would not die of hunger.

They are arrogant and have a deep-rooted belief in imperialism. They boast that their country is the whole world and call it the world. They firmly believe that wherever the sun and the moon shine and wherever the rivers flow, it is their land.

Most of them believe in their ancestors and think that the glory they have achieved in their lifetime will make their ancestors happy. A small number of them believe in Buddhism and their native Taoism.

Their country was powerful, covering an area as large as the Roman Empire, and they had all kinds of weapons and artillery.

After recording what he saw and heard one by one, Ovis couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This country was vast and had a large population, but he didn't know what their army was like.

However, even if the army is weakened, with its terrifying population, it is not something that an ordinary country can take over. Perhaps Frank, Great Britain, and Spain need to unite to occupy this place.

Unfortunately, the Franks and Great Britain were fighting the Battle of Ginagate, so there was no possibility of alliance.

In the next three days, George Ovis and others learned the etiquette of the Central Plains under the guidance of Chen Mengji.

In fact, as long as the attitude is tough enough, even the free Portuguese can learn to kneel and kowtow.

It was when they were learning the rules that Cheng Zhirou came to the Honglu Temple. Under the guidance of a Mingzan, Cheng Zhirou walked to the outside of Ou Zanghua's office, and the first thing she saw was the wisteria tree in full bloom.

The flowers are like strings of dazzling purple gems, hanging all over the vine and exuding a rich fragrance. When the breeze blows, the flowers on the tree seem to come alive, poetic and picturesque, exuding a noble and mysterious atmosphere.

Just like the person in the room, gorgeous, luxurious, and mysterious that she could never fathom.

“Miss Cheng, come quickly.” Ou Zanghua saw Cheng Zhirou standing outside the room admiring the scenery, and invited her with a smile: “Lingshan brewed mulberry wine, it’s just right to drink now, let’s try it together!”

"Sir Ou, can I drink while sitting in the hall?" Cheng Zhirou came back to her senses, walked into the room and asked gently.

"It's okay. I've already arranged the work and it won't delay anything." Ou Zanghua said as he took out two wine glasses from the cabinet beside him.

"Then I'd rather obey than be respectful!" Cheng Zhirou sat opposite with a smile, watching Ou Zanghua fill a glass of fruit wine.

Ou Zanghua pushed the wine glass in front of Cheng Zhirou and asked gently, "Thank you for your hard work during this period, Miss Cheng. I think no one has troubled you in the branches in Hangzhou and Yangzhou, right?"

"Now the whole of Jiangsu knows that the Weiyang Palace Huangzhuang Specialty Store is under the supervision of eunuchs, and no one dares to trip it up."

Cheng Zhirou nodded slightly, her tone revealing a bit of relief, and continued, "Perhaps because it was the first time that something royal appeared, and there was a special logo, so after only two months of opening, the two stores brought in a profit of 100,000 taels, which was really unexpected. Together with the Yingtianfu store and the Guangzhou store, the four stores in the south made a net profit of 170,000 taels in half a year."

"However, the branches in Yangzhou and Hangzhou still have a lot of orders, which may affect the revenue in the second half of the year. Sir Ou, please explain to His Majesty."

"I understand. I will explain it to His Majesty."

Ou Zanghua nodded, then stood up and took out a blank book from the bookshelf behind him, handed it to Cheng Zhirou and said, "This is Qingning paper produced by Qingning Palace Royal Manor. The paper is thin but not brittle, the surface is white and flexible, and it absorbs ink better than the paper on the market. I want to make this Qingning paper the main product of Qingning Palace Royal Manor and promote it domestically."

Cheng Zhirou touched the Qingning paper, picked it up and looked at it, then said, "This paper of Lord Ou is different from the Yongfeng cotton paper and Changshan Cambodian paper on the market. The price of these two types of paper is 3 taels and 5 cents and 2 taels and 5 cents for 100 sheets of silver."

After hearing this, Ou Zanghua thought for a while before saying, "Qingning paper is still in production. Miss Cheng should take some to the south to see if the printers and publishers are interested."

"Okay." Chen Zhirou nodded and agreed to the matter.

"By the way, how did Miss Cheng meet the Portuguese envoy?" Ou Zanghua asked curiously.

Cheng Zhirou said slowly, "When I was busy in the Guangzhou store, I heard a merchant mention that a group of red-haired foreigners arrived at Tuen Mun Island outside the Pearl River Estuary and asked to trade with the imperial court, but was rejected by the government."

"I remembered that Lord Ou had mentioned Europe many times, so I sent someone to inquire about it. I learned that they were from Portugal and were Europeans. So I used Lord Ou's name to pick them up and brought them to the capital."

As she spoke, Cheng Zhirou looked at Ou Zanghua cautiously and asked, "Will this cause trouble for Lord Ou?"

"Don't worry! Receiving foreign envoys was originally the job of the Honglu Temple, and Miss Cheng did a great job." Ou Zanghua paused. He originally wanted to directly arrange for Cheng Zhirou to have the identity of an official of the Honglu Temple, but then he thought that officials were not allowed to do business, so he had to suppress this idea.

After hearing this, Cheng Zhirou was relieved and said with a smile, "That's great. I was worried that I would make it difficult for Lord Ou!"

"Ms. Cheng, you're worrying too much." Ou Zanghua smiled and comforted her with a few words, which made Cheng Zhirou completely put her mind at ease.

Three days later, in the reception hall of the Honglu Temple, George Ovis finally met Ou Zanghua, the first senior official he had met since coming to the Ming Dynasty. With them was Cheng Zhirou.

"The envoy of the Kingdom of Portugal pays respect to Lord Ou."

George Ovis and others changed into Hanfu, spoke in unfluent Mandarin, and bowed and saluted.

"No need to formalities, everyone." After returning the greeting, Ou Zanghua sat down in the main seat and looked at the living Portuguese for the first time.

Whether in his past life or this life, there are only two Portuguese people he knows best, one is the football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, and the other is the navigator Magellan.

After everyone was seated, Ou Zanghua smiled and said, "Welcome to come from afar. Our Ming Dynasty is very happy to communicate with you overseas countries."

When everyone heard this, they all smiled and said that it was good that they were willing to communicate.

They are afraid of encountering a rogue country that they cannot defeat, cannot escape from, and is unwilling to communicate with.

At this time, Ou Zanghua raised his hand and waved, and two Mingzans came in carrying a screen with a map of Europe painted on it.

However, Ou Zanghua was worried that drawing it in too much detail would reveal the future, so he only marked the approximate locations of a few countries, including France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

George Ovis and his companions stared at the map, their faces slightly frozen. Since they left Europe, few countries could clearly identify the location of their homeland, let alone the intricate national layout around them.

In this vast unknown world, the Ming Empire became one of the few foreign countries that knew something about Europe.

Everyone's attitude towards Daming became more serious, which reminded them of the black cloud of stars and the moon floating over Europe.

"As you can see, there are thousands of mountains and rivers between Ming and Europe, and the transmission of information is like a world away,"

"In my opinion, Ming and Europe are not enemies because we are too far apart. Maybe there will be some conflicts in the future, but I believe that it will not be Ming's fault."

Ou Zanghua glanced at George Ovis and his companions with his calm and profound eyes, and continued: "Because of this, our understanding of your country is still at a very superficial level. Today, we are listening to the voices from afar with an open mind to enhance the understanding between the two sides."

George Ovis had only learned the basics of Mandarin, and he said immediately: "Lord Ovis's mind is as broad as the vast ocean, embracing everything. It inspires admiration. We, the travelers from afar, are happy to communicate with the Ming Empire."

"That's great!" Ou Zanghua nodded happily. Several Mingzans sitting outside the reception hall had already ground the mill and were waiting for George Ovis and others to speak.

"Dear Lord O, we are from Portugal, our capital is Lisbon, located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula in Europe. Our King is Manuel I, the second king of the Avis Dynasty."

With the introduction of George Ovis, a world that was a completely new map for the people of the Ming Dynasty opened up.

While recording, the Mingzans sighed in their hearts that there are so many bad things in this world.
(End of this chapter)